The
schizophrenic play that has become a trademark
in East Lansing continued during Smith's
second season at the helm. The same team
that lost to Rutgers, Hawaii and Penn State
crushed Wisconsin and Minnesota. Last year,
anyway, that was as much a sign of a (re)building
program trying to find itself as it was
any serious coaching lapses.

Trying
to build a Big Ten power in the shadow of
Ann Arbor has always been a daunting task
- just ask Nick Saban why he left. But if
anyone can do it, it's the coach who last
summer climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Entering
his third year, he's getting a feel for
which areas he can effectively recruit.
Spartan Stadium is being renovated. There
are plans to expand the weight facility
and football building.

After
last year's 5-7 finish, there's plenty of
pressure on Smith to qualify for a bowl
game, who is in the third year of a six-year
contract. He's already endured a rough offseason
that saw him lose three assistant coaches,
hire another one only to have him change
his mind, and see his wife diagnosed with
terminal colon cancer (it was later downgraded).
Any pressure he feels this fall will be
insignificant in comparison. Tests like
this make on-field missions (of winning)
into personal battles, a trait that can
only improve/motivate the teams' psyche
as they rally around his cause(s).

But
for this team to get back to a bowl, it
has to improve on the 105th-ranked turnover
margin in Division I-A while continuing
to hold its own in the Big Ten (.500 or
better in both of Smith's seasons). Showing
up for non-conference games would also be
nice. The Spartans could, conceivably, be
3-0 with Kent State, Hawaii and Notre Dame
to open up. Then again, this is Michigan
State. They beat many they shouldn't and
lose to many they should beat, so follow
the bouncing pigskin to see how this squad
responds to different levels of competition.

Those
early games will give a patchwork secondary
and some new faces on the offensive line
a chance to gel. With a healthy Stanton
under center, the offense will be as explosive,
if not more so, than last year. The defense
will struggle, but it won't have to be perfect.
As they put up a respectable effort, and
as Stanton stays healthy, Smith and the
Spartans will take another step up that
proverbial mountain. In a perfect position
to surprise many, we know we won't be shocked
when they hit the top 25 sometime this fall.

QuarterbackDrew
Stanton is a potential superstar. That potential
won't be reached with the oft-injured junior on
the sidelines, which was why John L. Smith was
careful to limit Stanton's reps in the spring
scrimmages and shield him from contact. "I'm
completely healthy and willing to do whatever
they need me to do," said Stanton, who underwent
shoulder surgery during the winter. State fans
will have to hope that's not just wishful thinking.
Stanton has a big arm to go with quick feet and
good instincts. He should be more comfortable
in his second year running this spread offense
that still ranked 10th in the nation, overall,
despite a pedestrian No. 51 finish in passing.
If Stanton stays healthy, this should be one of
the toughest offenses in the country to stop.
But the outlook if he goes down is iffy -- backups
Brian Hoyer and Domenic Natale didn't thrill anyone
this spring. Stephen Reaves, a sophomore, was
No. 2 on the depth chart before getting busted
for DUI April 27 and is now set to transfer.

Running
BackLast
year's three-way committee will be whittled down
to two, but don't expect much slippage, if any,
in the No. 10 rushing attack in Division I-A.
Neither Jason Teague nor Jehuu Caulcrick is the
type of playmaker DeAndra Cobb was. Teague is
a durable, respected runner, though not explosive.
He's also a steady receiving threat out of the
backfield. Redshirt soph Caulcrick runs a 4.5-second
40 with a fullback's body, though he's not much
of a receiver. Look for Smith to use freshmen
Tony Howard and Javon Ringer for that missing
dash of explosiveness, with another extra element
coming from Stanton's fleet feet. Smith can lean
on this unit as often as last year (56 percent
of MSU's plays), and not have to pay for it.

ReceiverThe
best bet to replace Cobb's playmaking abilities
is senior Kyle Brown, who put up big numbers this
spring. After a disappointing '04, Brown developed
his route running and discipline and became Stanton's
favorite target. If the speedster is finally ready
to emerge as the deep threat out of his Z spot,
look for returning starters Jerramy Scott (slot),
and 6'6" Matt Trannon (X), as well as their
experienced backups, to be more productive underneath,
with Shabaj a potential deep-threat complement.
Improvement catching the ball will be the key
for a group that did a nice job spreading defenses
for the running game and making quality, impacting
blocks downfield.

Tight
EndLook
for fifth-year senior Ryan Woods and true soph
Kellen Davis to marginally mimic the one-two receiving
punch that Eric Knott and Jason Randall gave this
offense last fall. The two combined for only two
receptions last fall, but showed during the spring
that they're ready to step up. Davis, the No.
7-ranked TE in the 2004 recruiting class, isn't
the blocker Woods is, but is more athletic. He
struggled at times this spring, though, while
Woods was more consistent. Expect Davis to catch
up this fall.

Offensive
LineOne
of the biggest concerns on this team is replacing
the right side of a line that only allowed eight
sacks while paving the way for one of the nation's
best ground games. Still, this looks to be a deep,
talented group. The anchor role falls to senior
C Chris Morris, a strong all-around blocker and
one of the Big Ten's best middlemen. Redshirt
freshman G Roland Martin and soph T Mike Gyetvai
appear to be the new starters. Both are big and
quick, which means they fit right in with this
athletic group. Though this line won't take anyone
by surprise (like last year), it will still be
strong enough to provide the base for another
productive offense.

OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWNAssuming
Stanton stays healthy, this could be (one of)
the toughest offense in the Big Ten to stop. Stanton's
youth and injuries forced Smith to shift most
of the burden to the ground game, and the results
bode well for how completely the team looked and
responded - similar problems wouldn't be welcome,
but would again be manageable. With Stanton's
blindside safely protected and more maturity at
QB and WR, expect the passing game to catch up
with the run, resulting in a balanced attack that
will be hard to contain. Besides eliminating mistakes,
the key is the dynamic Stanton. When he left the
field during the spring scrimmages, the offense
struggled against a young defense. State was one
of only a handful of teams to average 200+ yards
via both run AND pass per game, so Stanton can
only improve this offense and its achievements.

C
Chris Morris

MICHIGAN
STATE 2005 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

OFFENSE

QB

Drew
Stanton-Jr

Brian
Hoyer-Fr / Domenic Natale-Fr

RB

Jason
Teague-Sr

Jehuu
Caulcrick-So

WR

Matt
Trannon-Sr

Terry
Love-So

WR

Kyle
Brown-Sr

Aaron
Alexander-Sr

WR

Jerramy
Scott-Jr

Agim
Shabaj-Sr / Carl Grimes-Fr

TE

Ryan
Woods-Sr

Kellen
Davis-So

OT

Stefon
Wheeler-Sr

Tom
Kaczmarek-Fr

OG

Kyle
Cook-Jr

Daniel
Zynn-Jr

C

Chris
Morris-Sr

John
Masters-So

OG

Gordon
Niebylski-Sr

Roland
Martin-Fr

OT

Mike
Gyetvai-So

Pete
Clifford-So

K

John
Goss-Jr

Kyle
Mayer-Jr

2005
DEFENSE

Defensive
LineLast
year's mediocre pass rush and run defense will
improve despite (or because of) the loss of two
starters. New defensive line coach Lucious Selmon's
group looked tough, for the most part, against
the offense this spring. Junior DE Clifton Ryan
is poised for a breakout year, while 315-pound
NT Brandon McKinney is a solid run-stopper in
the middle. Two oft-used backups from last fall,
seniors DE Michael Bazemore and DT Domata Peko,
will move into starting roles. Bazemore is physical
enough to take over at rush end, allowing Ryan
to remain at "stud" end. Depth is a
concern here, as it is with most of the defense.
Redshirt freshman end Justin Kershaw, who had
a great spring, will be the top backup.

LinebackerIf
the D-line truly improves, look sequentially for
better production here, especially against the
run. Smith moved non-namesake Eric Smith, a two-year
starter at strong safety, to the "bandit"
spot to help ease the losses of Tyrell Dortch
and MLB Ronald Stanley, the team's top tackler.
Returning weak-side backer (and ex-RB) David Herron
and new MLB Kaleb Thornhill provide plenty of
speed and size. Smith's experience and big-hit
ability should make him the leader, and he'll
be tough to throw underneath against. The inexperienced
backups are smaller and obviously less impacting,
so health issues here could easily impact the
entire team.

Defensive
BackBesides
Stanton's health, this area is the most urgent
concern entering the fall. New defensive coordinator
Chris Smeland is retooling a group that allowed
far too many big plays. Out are Smith and two
graduated starters. In are converted WR Irving
Campbell, who will provide depth at corner for
returning starter Jaren Hayes (a former RB), and
senior Ashton Watson (once a top recruit). Hayes
is ready to be a shut-down corner, while Watson
was said to be (finally) making big strides during
the spring. Former backups Greg Cooper (who also
saw time at corner) and Cole Corey take over at
the safety spots. Both have talent, but are short
on experience, a consistent dilemma for this unit.
Hayes, the top returning tackler here, has only
one year under his belt, while neither Watson,
Cooper nor Corey exceeded 17 tackles. But once
experience is cast aside, we see four three-star
recruits joining the team, so depth is there to
be tapped. This mediocre unit will improve, and
how much will go a long way toward defining the
entire team's campaign.

DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWNStatistically,
there wasn't much difference in the yardage MSU
allowed last fall (381.4 per game) compared to
the 8-5 2003 group (379.9). The difference was
in the details -- that team made 45 sacks and
forced 29 turnovers, compared to 21 and 14 last
season, respectively. Smeland starts with a young,
aggressive group that has proven it wants to improve
on those numbers, but first the focus has to be
on stopping big plays. The secondary must gel
quickly for that to happen. Once opponent's "home-run
punch" is contained, the focus can shift
to slugging back. Even with a quality running
offense, the time-of-possession difference was
still negative-0:50, so stopping foes' flow this
way is vital for marginally making things work
for (and not against) them that much more.

P
Brandon Fields

MICHIGAN
STATE 2005 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

DEFENSE

DE

Michael
Bazemore-Sr

Nick
Smith-So

DT

Domata
Peko-Sr

Bobby
Jones-Jr

DT

Brandon
McKinney-Sr

Joe
Toth-So

DE

Clifton
Ryan-Jr

Justin
Kershaw-Fr

MIKE

Kaleb
Thornhill-So

Eric
Andino-So

WHIP

David
Herron-Jr

Devin
Pritchett-So

BAN

Eric
Smith-Sr

Sir
Darean Adams-So

CB

Ashton
Watson-Sr

Travis
Key-So / Eric Hines-Fr

CB

Jaren
Hayes-Sr

Irving
Campbell-So

SS

Cole
Corey-So

Tom
Dance-Fr

FS

Greg
Cooper-Jr

Mike
Bell-So

P

Brandon
Fields-Jr

John
Goss-Jr

2005
SPECIAL TEAMS

KickerJohn
Goss didn't get off to a sizzling start as the new placekicker,
missing three of four field goals in the final spring
scrimmage. The junior doesn't have much experience,
having played in just four high school games before
being primarily a punter at Scottsdale Community College,
where he did hit a 57-yard field goal, though. Sounds
like a recipe for inconsistency. Goss' big leg could
give a needed boost to an average kickoff coverage squad
(fifth in the Big Ten), however.

PunterThe
most reliable weapon in the MSU arsenal is junior Brandon
Fields, a first-team all-American last fall after leading
the nation in punting at 47.9 yards per try. It's the
personnel around Fields who need work. Opponents blocked
three punts and returned three others for TDs while
the coverage unit ranked third to last in the country.
That type of effort cancels Fields' distance and puts
more pressure on a beleaguered defense.

Return
GameThe
loss of Cobb will be especially felt on kickoffs, where
he led the nation's No. 17 return unit. With Brown and
Shabaj taking most of the reps, the punt return game
fared far worse, finishing 68th. Look for Brown and
Shabaj to take most of the returns this year, meaning
returns could again be a mediocre aspect.